Top seeds Gonzaga, Kansas and Arizona are in. So is little Saint Peter’s, the giant killer and only the third No. 15 seed to make it this far in the NCAA Tournament.
And Coach K’s farewell tour continues as he and his Duke Blue Devils made it to the Sweet 16, too.
All eight of the regional semifinal matchups are set after a wild opening weekend that saw seven double-digit seeds win in the first round and four of them move on.
This is the second year in a row a No. 15 seed has captured the imagination of basketball fans.
Last year, it was Oral Roberts, which came within a missed 3-pointer at the buzzer from beating Arkansas and going to the Elite Eight. This time, it’s those lovable Saint Peter’s Peacocks, who knocked off Kentucky and Murray State and don’t have a single player that made the All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference first team.
MIDWEST
United Center, Chicago
Friday-Sunday
No. 1 seed Kansas (30-6) will face a physical challenge against No. 4 Providence (27-5), which took care of business against South Dakota State and blew out Richmond. Kansas got all it could handle from ninth-seeded Creighton in the second round and is in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2018.
The game features an intriguing matchup of big men in the Jayhawks’ David McCormack and the Friars’ Nate Watson.
The other Midwest semifinal pits two double-digit seeds: No. 11 Iowa State (22-12) against No. 10 Miami (25-10).
The Cyclones, who won just two games last season, are in for the first time since 2016 under first-year coach T.J. Otzelberger. They’ve given up just 103 points in two games — 49 in their upset of Wisconsin, the Badgers’ lowest total since 2018.
Miami’s 79-61 takedown of No. 2 Auburn puts the Hurricanes in a regional semifinal for the third time under Jim Larrañaga, who would love to recapture the magic of his 2006 George Mason team’s run to the Final Four as a No. 11 seed.
EAST REGION
Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia
Friday-Sunday
The Peacocks (21-11) will face No. 3 seed Purdue (29-7), and this group of New Jersey toughs won’t be intimidated by the Boilermakers’ considerable size advantage.
“Everybody keeps saying we can’t do that, we can’t do that, we don’t have this and we don’t have that,” coach Shaheen Holloway said. “We got heart. That’s what matters.”
Two of the college game’s biggest brands, No. 8 North Carolina (26-9) and No. 4 UCLA (27-7), will square off in the other semifinal.
First-year coach Hubert Davis’ Tar Heels are the hottest team in the tournament, having won eight of nine after their rout of Marquette and overtime win over defending champion Baylor. UCLA turned back Akron’s upset bid and rolled past Saint Mary’s.
WEST
Chase Center, San Francisco
